


Love Letters

by KennaM



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, She Loves Me - Bock/Harnick/Masteroff, The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Retail, Background Chloe/Sabrina, Background Rose/Juleka, Crossover, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, First Meetings, Identity Reveal, Pen Pals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-10 01:46:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13494228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KennaM/pseuds/KennaM
Summary: Adrien has worked in his father's sewing supplies and tailoring shop for years, and he doesn't appreciate this new girl Marinette showing up out of nowhere and deciding she hates him. It doesn't help that the relationship with his father is deteriorating fast. The only solace Adrien finds is in his online friend Ladybug, and the letters they send back and forth.Marinette's life could be a lot easier too, if her boss's son wasn't such a stuck-up spoiled brat. At least she has a job now, and at least she has Chat Noir. Who she still hasn't met, despite the fact that they live in the same city.Based on the story of Shop Around the Corner and She Loves Me





	1. 19 Novembre

Adrien almost crumpled the letter in his hand in a poor attempt to hide it when he heard a voice behind him ask, “What’s that?” He hurriedly stuffed it into his jacket pocket and crossed his arms over his chest before turning to see who’d been spying on him. Nino was giving him the most amused grin.

“That was so smooth, bro,” he said. “Totally not suspicious, at all. Now I _have_ to see it.”

Adrien slumped with relief. “Nino. I thought you might be my father.”

“Dude,” Nino said, with a look of disgust that Adrien couldn’t help but laugh at. “Your dad and I sound nothing alike. Besides,” he added, pretending to shiver at the thought, “he’s still in the back, fitting that new client. We’re safe for a while.”

“You mean you’re safe,” Adrien said. He glanced around; the shop was mostly empty, just a couple customers, and Rose and Chloe were already helping them. “If father catches you hanging out on the floor instead of packing for deliveries-”

“Adrien,” Nino interrupted, “this is an old and boring argument, and you’re evading my question.” He made a grab for Adrien’s jacket pocket, but Adrien twisted away. Nino smirked. “What are you hiding?”

“It’s nothing,” Adrien insisted, but he couldn’t stop the happy grin from spreading across his face. “It’s private. It’s… it’s just a letter.”

“A letter? From who?” Nino asked. “Did you win something?”

“No, it’s from….” Adrien’s voice trailed off. He tried to think of a believable enough lie, but nothing came to him. “A friend,” he finally said. “Her name is Ladybug.”

Nino’s eyebrows shot up. “’Her’?”

Adrien’s face betrayed him with a grin again.

“Dude.” Nino’s eyes were wide. “You have a _secret girlfriend_?”

“No I don’t!” Adrien hissed, his cheeks red. Across the shop a woman glanced their way and Adrien flashed her an apologetic smile, but soon she became distracted by Chloe’s animated sales pitch again. Adrien grabbed his friend’s arm and dragged him closer to the back wall. “I mean,” he continued in a lower voice, “no, she’s not my girlfriend. We just write letters to each other.”

“Who writes letters to someone unless they’re in _love_?” Nino asked in a sing-song. Adrien groaned. He knew telling Nino about this was a bad idea.

The bell over the shop door chimed, and they both looked up. An older man, one of their regulars. Juleka was already on her way to help him. Nino turned back to Adrien.“So what kind of name is ‘Ladybug’ anyways?”

Adrien sighed. “That’s not her real name, of course. It’s her screen name.” He turned to the rack of ribbons they were standing by, and started to adjust them, trying to look busy. “I don’t… _know_ what her real name is.”

“You don’t – oh my _god_.” Nino turned to help him, shaking his head the whole time. “I don’t even know where to begin, Adrien. Do you mean to tell me you’re writing _letters_ ,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “to a girl you met on the internet?”

Adrien nodded mutely. He was _not_ going to offer up the rest of the information on how he and Ladybug met. It would be too embarrassing.

Nino kept shaking his head. “You are _hooked_ , my dude. How do you know this isn’t some weirdo catfishing you?”

“No,” Adrien said. “She’s too… genuine. She’s not flirting with me, we just talk about… school, and music, and… and video games.”

They worked, or pretended to, in silence for a minute. The door opened again for a leaving customer, and behind them Adrien could hear Alya and Rose chatting by the register. Finally, Nino asked, “Does she at least know your name, or does she call you by a screen name too?”

This, at least, was a question Adrien wasn’t embarrassed to answer. “My screen name,” he said. “It’s Chat Noir.”

“…Dude. That’s so lame.”

Adrien shoved an elbow into Nino’s ribs and they both started laughing. “Is not,” he said between breaths, “black cats are cool and mysterious. And girls love cats.”

“And I thought she wasn’t your girlfriend,” Nino pointed out.

“She’s not,” Adrien said again. He coughed nervously. “Not _yet_ , at least.”

“God, I knew it,” Nino said. He grinned and started to say something else when a door further down the back wall opened and out walked Mr. Agreste, escorting his new client out of the shop. Adrien and Nino both stood up straighter and busied themselves with re-straightening the display. All quiet conversation in the front of the shop ceased as well.

“Thank you for coming to see us today,” Mr. Agreste intoned to his customer, promising him to finish the tailoring within the week. The shop was silent except for their short polite conversation, then the customer left, and Adrien could tell without looking that his father was disdainfully checking over each of his employees.

The cash register beeped and sound seemed to return all at once. “Nino,” Mr. Agreste said over the chime of another customer entering the shop. He walked briskly over to the two boys in the back. “What are you doing out on the salesfloor?”

Behind his father’s back, Adrien could see the other clerks sigh in relief that they’d been overlooked. “J-just bringing Adrien some ribbon to refill this shelf,” Nino said quickly.

Mr. Agreste stood a moment longer, considering. “Very well,” he finally said, “but it should not have taken this long. Get back to work.”

Nino ducked his head and scurried off, leaving Adrien alone with his father. He was probably going to chew Adrien out for talking to his friend during working hours again. Not like they got to see each other much _outside_ of working hours. Either that, or he’s just disappear into his office again without a word.

Instead, Mr. Agreste asked, “How did you like those new notions boxes that arrived this morning?”

Adrien blinked at his father in surprise. “What?” he said. For a moment he didn’t remember what his father was talking about. Notions boxes? New?

“The notions boxes. You didn’t see them? I thought you would like them.”

Mr. Agreste led his son over to the display and Adrien followed, dumbstruck. He vaguely remembered walking past this display when he came in that afternoon, but he hadn’t paid it any attention. Too distracted by the letter in his pocket, frankly. But his father had thought he might _like_ them? When had Mr. Agreste considered his sons feelings on a subject… _ever_?

“So, what do you think?” Adrien’s father asked. He took a box off the shelf and handed it over. It was wooden, instead of the usual plastic or fabric, with imitation leather glued on to accent. Not his usual style for products. “Go ahead,” he added. “Open it.”

Adrien lifted the lid on the box and instantly music filled the air. It was a light tinkling melody, soft and sweet, and something about it intimately familiar. Adrien furrowed his brows, trying to remember, but his father supplied the answer.

“Your mother’s favorite tune,” he said. “She used to sing it to you when you were an infant.”

Now Adrien remembered. Not being an infant, but he remembered hearing it, growing up, hummed in a silent house. He remembered watching his mother working in her garden, thinking she was alone, singing the words into the wind. He’d almost forgotten about it. This was his mother’s song.

Sold in a box in his father’s sewing shop.

His nose crinkled in distaste. “I think it’s a bad idea,” he said. His father’s expression dropped and Adrien hurried to find a good explanation. “I mean,” he added, “it’s nice, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to sell. Not many people know this song, and who wants to open a music box every time you need a bobbin or the scissors? And it doesn’t match our branding, and...”

Adrien couldn’t think of anything else to say, not under his father’s intense glare. He looked away to avoid his eyes, and Mr. Agreste heaved a sigh. “Well,” he said. “That’s disappointing.”

He turned and walked away before Adrien could decide if he should apologize or not.

“Well,” someone said, and Adrien turned to see Chloe examining her nails disdainfully. “ _I_ thought the boxes were pretty.”

Adrien chuckled. “A little old fashioned, maybe,” she added with a wave of her hand, “but pretty.” She glanced sideways at her friend, and smirked.

“With you on the case I’m sure we’ll sell hundreds,” Adrien said. At that they both started giggling.

They stopped when a customer approached asking for help. Juleka to help the woman find what she needed, and when the pair walked off, Chloe sighed. “I didn’t realize that was your mom’s song,” she said in a quieter voice. “That… sucks.”

“Yeah,” Adrien agreed. “I’d almost forgotten about it. I haven’t heard it since… well before she left.”

“I’m sorry…” Chloe said uncomfortably. The door chimed open once more, a younger woman this time, and Adrien stepped forward. He needed the distraction.

“Thanks,” he told Chloe. “I got this one.”

The woman, who looked like she was probably a university student too, stood stock still just in the doorway. She stared around the shop with the obvious curiosity of someone who had never been inside before. She was ogling the sewing machines when Adrien sidling up to her and asked, “Need any help?”

She hadn’t noticed him, and jumped slightly in surprise. “No – yes!” she said quickly. She smiled nervously.

Adrien smiled back. “We have a special on our sewing machines right now – buy one and get a set of thread half off.”

“Oh no,” the woman said, “I couldn’t – I don’t need a sewing machine right now.”

“Then do you want to hear about our sales? Fabric is half off – you have to buy through the catalog but we have samples to get the feel of them.”

“Thank you, no, I’m not looking for fabric right now,” she said.

Adrien tried to keep the annoyance out of his expression. It wasn’t her fault, his sales pitch was usually better than this, but in his defense it had been a very weird half hour. “Then what can I help you find?” he asked.

“Actually,” the woman said, “I was wondering if I could speak to Mr. Agreste.”

“Uh.” Adrien said, thrown off guard. “He’s in his office. He’s, uh, very busy. It might take a while.”

“I can wait.”

Adrien frowned. “Are you sure there isn’t something I can help you with?”

The woman shook her head. “I should really speak to Mr. Agreste personally. I can wait, until he’s free. It’s no problem.”

If Adrien was going to be completely honest, he really didn’t want to confront his father again, especially not so soon after that weird box incident. He glanced back at the office door, and wondered if Chloe wouldn’t mind being sent to deliver a message. She was always so much better at dealing with adults, anyways.

“Alright,” Adrien said. “Can I at least get your name, and what you want to speak with him about?”

“My name’s Marinette,” the woman said. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And I wanted to talk with him about a job.”

Internally Adrien sighed with relief. Juleka had only been working at the shop for two weeks – there was no way his father would hire another clerk so soon. Which meant there was no reason to go bug his father again. “If it’s just a job then I’m afraid you’re out of luck,” he told the woman. “We’ve done all our winter hiring, and we won’t be doing any more until the new year. My father’s very strict about that.”

“Your father?”

“Oh. Yes.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I’m Adrien Agreste. Not even _I_ could convince my father to change his mind.”

“Well, maybe if I spoke with him directly, _I_ could,” Marinette said. “I’m a very hard worker – I’ve worked in customer service since high school – and I’m an _exceptionally_ skilled seamstress. I make all my own clothes, I’m even going to school to be a fashion designer, so I know this industry inside-”

“That’s all very impressive,” Adrien quickly interrupted, “but I’m afraid my father isn’t going to change his mind. I can put your name at the top of the list when a job _does_ open up-”

“But I need a job _now_!”

The bell above the door announced another customer, and Adrien and Marinette instantly realized how heated their conversation had become. Adrien stepped down an aisle out of the way and Marinette sheepishly followed suit. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “But isn’t there any way I could speak to Mr. Agreste?”

Adrien definitely didn’t want to bother his father now that he knew the whole thing was pointless. “I’m sorry,” he started to say, but as he spoke he glanced over at his father’s office door, just in time to see Chloe poking her head in. “That meddling…” he muttered to himself.

A moment later his father appeared in the doorway. Adrien turned back to the woman in front of him. “Good luck,” he said. “it seems you’re going to get your audience after all.

The moment she noticed the store manager coming towards her, Marinette, like so many before her in this situation, stood up straighter. “Mr. Agreste!” she squeaked.

“I heard I was being asked for,” he said. He smiled politely, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “What can I help you with.”

“She wants a job,” Adrien said, before the woman could hurt her chances any further.

Mr. Agreste’s smile disappeared. “I’m afraid we’re not doing any-”

“I’m a very hard worker!” Marinette interrupted. It was all Adrien could do not to shake his head at her, give her the kill signal, tell her out loud to just stop. His father would definitely notice, and likely her pit was already dug anyways. “And I know this industry inside and out! I’m taking classes in fashion design and I’ve worked-”

“I’m sorry,” Adrien’s father cut her off, “but there are no openings right now. We can look a your resume when a position opens, but until then, you’re out of luck.”

For a moment it looked like Marinette might fight him some more, but then he gave a dismissive nod, and she deflated. She backed away with her shoulders slumped. Adrien was just about to reach out to her, to apologize for his father and wish her luck, but his father leaned over and hissed, “Can’t you deal with these sorts of things without needing to call for help every time?”

“S-sorry, father,” Adrien muttered. He hated how his father could make him feel like he was five years old all over again.

From the corner of his eye Adrien saw Alya and Rose wince. They must have overheard the entire conversation. It would have been hard not to.

Marinette had wandered back to the main aisle but seemed reluctant to leave. His father must have noticed too; he walked three steps back towards his office, then stopped, and turned to watch the woman with an interested eye. It took a second for Adrien to realize she was standing my the musical notions boxes, looking them over.

Mr. Agreste plastered on another fake smile, and approached her.

“Charming, aren’t they?” he asked.

Marinette jumped in surprise. She seemed pretty skittish. “What? Oh! Yes!” She smiled nervously. Adrien didn’t want to watch, but he couldn’t look away. “They’re very… antique. I-in a good way.”

“Go ahead and open one,” Mr. Agreste went on. “There’s a surprise inside. My son thinks they were a bad idea,” he added, and Marinette glanced up at him over the aisle. “I’m curious to hear what you think.”

When the music started playing Marinette actually gasped in surprise. “Oh!” she said. “That’s so pretty!”

Pretty was… about the right word to describe it, Adrien thought. That still didn’t make it a good idea. He frowned, just as his father caught his eye. “Pretty?”

“A-and, sophisticated.” Marinette wilted under Mr. Agreste’s gaze, but held her ground. “I think music boxes are so romantic, and to have one playing while you work? And it holds your tools, too, so it’s functional. And….” She glanced around the shop and her eyes landed on Adrien. “And I think it will sell,” she added, with a defiant look.

Now Adrien knew he had to leave. He was on this girl’s side as long as she was just another stranger his father was looking down on. But now it was _him_ his father was looking down at, a triumphant gleam in his eye. “Romantic,” he echoed thoughtfully. “You know what, Ms.… what did you say your name was?”

“Dupain-Cheng. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Adrien turned to put some distance between himself and this scene. “Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” his father said, behind his back. “I think we might have a job opening after all. Follow me to my office. I’ll have my assistant Nathalie draw up the paperwork.”

They passed him on their way to the back, Marinette all but glowing. “Thank you, Mr. Agreste! You won’t regret it!” She turned mid-step to flash Adrien a smirk, then they disappeared into the office, leaving Adrien gaping.

Whatever had just happened, Adrien was definitely in trouble.

“She seemed nice,” Rose said quietly after a moment’s silence.

“She seemed _smart_ ,” Alya amended. “I like her style. Adrien – you had better watch out for that one.”


	2. 3 Décembre

Marinette sat outside the Agreste Boutique, letter in hand, completely unashamed of the pleased grin spread across her face. Her schoolbag sat under her elbows and she reread the letter for perhaps the fourth time – she wasn’t keeping track – while Alya crept up behind her.

“’Dear Ladybug’?” Alya read over her shoulder.

“Nothing!” Marinette squeaked automatically, and she smothered the letter against her blouse. She turned to see her best friend but no relief calmed the deep red blush. “What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that? You almost gave me a heart attack!”

Instead of apologizing Alya gave a loud laugh. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never seen you here this early, Mari!”

“Class was canceled.” Marinette folded the letter back into it’s envelope, and stuffed it into her backpack. “I figured I might as well get in early. So Adrien doesn’t yell at me again,” she added with a grumble.

Alya took the seat beside Marinette, still chuckling. “And why do you have a letter to a bug?” she asked.

Marinette’s hand still rested over the pocket of her bag where the letter lay. She’d scrawled back a response in the middle of a class just that morning. All she needed to do was mail it. “It’s kind of embarrassing,” she said. “You have to promise not to laugh.”

“Girl, you know I’ve got your back,” Alya said. She leaned in closer and Marinette had to smile. They’d only known each other for a couple of weeks but already Alya was the closest friend Marinette had. They did everything together, outside work, even studying for classes, though they didn’t go to the same school. They’d talked about everything, except this.

Marinette took a deep breath to steel herself. “Actually, ‘Ladybug’ is my screen name. In an MMO I’ve been playing. I made friends with this guy in the game, and when we found out we both live in Paris we started writing each other-”

“You’re writing an _internet guy_?” Alya asked, incredulous.

“He’s not like that,” Marinette insisted, shaking her head. “He’s nice, and thoughtful, and-and sweet, and we have so much in common.” As Marinette kept talking, Alya’s doubtful frown turned into a grin, and Marinette felt her face grow red. “We talked online a lot and decided you can say more in a letter. We haven’t even met.”

“As long as he’s not a weirdo,” Alya said. “Do you at least know his name, or are you addressing your letters to a bug too?”

“Chat Noir,” Marinette said with a chuckle. “That’s the screen name he uses.”

Alya wrinkled her nose. “What, is that supposed to be cute?”

“It’s pretty bad, yeah,” Marinette agreed. She smiled. Then she sighed. “His letters are so beautiful, Alya.” She kind of wanted to pull the latest one out of her bag again just to hold it. The days she got new letters in her post office box were the best days of her weeks. All the old ones were still in a box in her room; sometimes she’d reread them, to feel better on the bad days.

“Sounds like _someone_ is in _love_ ,” Alya teased, and Marinette had no energy to contradict her. She stared down at her hands for a moment, then up at her friend, and Alya melted. “Aw, come here,” she said, and scooped Marinette into a hug.

Marinette let herself be hugged for a minute, then pulled away. “We should go inside,” she said. “Our shift is starting soon.”

-

Adrien and Rose were already waiting in the break room when Marinette and Alya came in to stow their bags. Rose smiled and waved, but Adrien said, “Ah. Looks like you’re actually on time today.”

Marinette shot him a glare. “Sorry to disappoint,” she said.

“I’m not disappointed,” he said defensively, but she turned her back on him to open her locker, and his voice faltered. “Just… surprised.”

Alya changed the subject before Marinette could shoot off another retort. “I thought Juleka was working tonight,” she said. “Are you covering her shift?”

“Yes,” Rose said after a slight hesitation. “She had a makeup test she couldn’t reschedule. So we switched.”

As they chatted, Marinette slipped open the pocket of her schoolbag, still in her locker, and slowly pulled out the letter. She contemplated if for a minute, then folded it in half and slipped it into the pocket of her skirt.

Mr. Agreste led the closing salesfloor team into the back room at the start of their shifts, to find Nino standing beneath a towering stack of boxes. “These need to be sorted and stocked before the end of the night,” Mr. Agreste said, “but don’t neglect our customers. I trust that won’t be too difficult?” He turned away without waiting for any reply and disappeared into the workroom.

Marinette had thought she liked Gabriel Agreste when she first asked for this job, but the two weeks since she started working had made her realize he wasn’t who he thought he was. He wasn’t mean, per se, but he treated his employees more dismissively than any of her previous bosses had. He also insisted on keeping the shop open on Sundays, and never seemed satisfied with the work his employees did. Marinette had bonded with all of her coworkers over how universally disliked their boss was.

Except for Adrien. No matter what Marinette did Adrien seemed to always be looking down at her. He never wanted to chat, and when he did deign to talk to her it was always to deliver instructions from his dad. Alya had told her he wasn’t that bad of a guy, but it was tough to get over the bad impression he’d made when they first met.

“He’s just like his dad,” Marinette had said once when he had disappeared in the back to chat with Nino. Those two always seemed to be distracting each other.

Alya had been helping her organize the threads display that day. “He’s _really_ not,” she’d replied, “you just catch him at bad times.”

“How many bad times does one person get before I don’t have to forgive them anymore?” Marinette had said. She’d shaken her head and pointed out, “At least Chloe’s _honest_ about how stuck up she is. I don’t think Adrien even _realizes_ the whole world doesn’t belong to him.”

Alya had rolled her eyes and changed the subject. She got along with Adrien fairly well, Marinette knew, which was a surprise. Marinette usually tried to be friends with everyone, but there were just some people you couldn’t be friendly with.

As soon as Mr. Agreste left the room, Chloe turned around and headed back for the salesfloor door. “You can handle these without me, right?” she called over her shoulder. No one even bothered to stop her, though Marinette glared at the swinging door.

That left Marinette, Adrien, Nino, and Rose. The four of them stared at the pile of boxes, the leftovers from a product shipment that morning. “We’re been working on these all day,” Nino said, his tone betraying exhaustion. “If I never see another box in my life, it’ll be too soon.”

“I’ll get a cart,” Rose said softly, and she ducked out of the room. Nino grabbed a box off the top of the stack and sliced through the tape.

“Can you grab the other box cutter, Marinette?” Adrien asked. He was staring at a label on one of the boxes, and looked up when she failed to respond.

Marinette crossed her arms. “Why don’t _you_ get the box cutter?” she said.

Adrien gave her a look, then said, “Fine,” and stalked deeper into the back room. Marinette thought she caught the beginning of an eye roll as he turned, which only infuriated her more.

Nino knelt on the, riffling through the contents of his box. “You’re cool, Marinette,” he said in a quiet voice, “but you’d be a lot cooler if you’d stop picking on my bud Adrien.”

“And _he’d_ be a lot cooler if he was less _bossy_ ,” Marinette responded. She spoke in a lower tone, but she didn’t care in he overheard. “He’d not actually the boss of me anyway. His dad is. We have the same job title.”

“But Adrien’s been here longer than any of us, he knows this store better than his own house. He’s a cool dude, Marinette, just give him a chance.”

Everyone kept saying that. Just give him another chance and he’ll surprise you. Well he’d _had_ his chance and he’d wasted it, and he didn’t seem interested in taking his second chance, either. Marinette was tired of it. She pressed her lips together and waited for Rose to return with the cart.

It took the team less than a minute to dump the boxes out in the cart, then Marinette and Rose pushed it out onto the floor to stock the shelves. The shop was practically empty, so they chatted as they worked. This definitely wouldn’t be the worst shift in Marinette’s life, if not the most interesting.

Adrien had just come out on the salesfloor with a second full cart when the bell over the door chimed and a woman walked in. She returned Alya’s greeting but turned down Marinette’s offer of assistance. Marinette had almost forgotten she was there – too busy trying to pointedly ignore a certain someone else – when the woman asked, right behind Marinette’s back, “What’s this for?”

Marinette jumped in surprise, and their almost-empty cart banged into a row of shelves at the jolt. “What?”

The woman was holding up one of the notions boxes, the wooden one, that played music. “Is this a… candy box?” she asked.

Marinette couldn’t respond. She glanced over at Rose, who stared at her like a deer in headlights, then over at Adrien. He looked just as dumbfounded as she felt. “Um,” Marinette said. She glanced at the display label to make sure it was still there. It was.

As soon as the woman opened the box and the music started to play, she shook her head dismissively. “Oh that won’t do,” she said. “Who ever heard of a singing candy box?”

It had been two weeks since Marinette had been hired, and in that time she couldn’t think of a single box that had sold. She remembered the conversation vividly, the way Adrien scoffed at the boxes, how she promised Mr. Agreste they _would_ sell. Suddenly, Marinette realized she had the perfect opportunity to get back at Adrien.

“A-actually!” Marinette said. “There’s a very special reason these boxes play music!”

“Is there?” the woman asked. Marinette looked at her blankly, then caught Alya’s eye at the register. Alya just looked confused, and shrugged.

“Yes,” Marinette said. She tried to fit as much confidence into her voice as she could. “It’s because… candy.”

“Candy?”

“Yes,” Marinette said again. “You know – you know how, sometimes, when you’re working at your desk, and, and focusing, and.” She gestured weakly at the box. “You’ve got a box of candy, right there, and you reach into the candy bowl – box! And you don’t even notice, until it’s empty?”

Now that she was on a roll, Marinette found her stride easily. She took the box from the customer’s hands and held it up gently, like she was displaying something delicate. “This little candy box nips that bad habit right in the bud. Every time you open it,” she said, and then she lifted the lid. The music softly filled the shop. “There it is! Reminding you to pay attention to what you’re doing!” She dropped the lid closed and the music shut off. Marinette smiled. “We’ve already heard lots of positive feedback from customers who say this box has helped them.”

Miraculously, the woman seemed to actually be taking her sales pitch seriously. She stared down at the box in Marinette’s hands, contemplating it, while Marinette tried to hold onto her smile. The woman took the box, tested the lid, and finally declared, “I think I’ll take it!”

“Thank you!” Marinette beamed. “I know you’ll love it!”

The woman took her purchase to the register, and when Marinette turned around Adrien was still standing there, watching her in shock. Marinette smirked at him, then pushed her empty cart past.

-

 **do you ever have one of those coworkers you just cant stand?** Marinette typed into the chat window. Her game avatar, in its iconic red and black outfit, had to stand motionless in the virtual environment until she finished.

 **I know that feline well** , Chat Noir messaged back. Marinette wasn’t sure how he did it, but Chat Noir’s avatar never stopped moving while they were chatting. His character continued hopping circles around her, annoying, in an endearing way. She could only guess he had one of those speach-to-text converters, which seemed like overkill. **I even asked my boss to switch our shifts. But. No such luck.**

 **god, i know** , Marinette typed. She had to pause to take out a low-level enemy that randomly spawned, then added, **plus i know the boss likes him more than me, which is just the worst part**.

There was a lull in the conversation as some more enemies appeared, and they had to work together to take them down. They’d been teaming up so long that Marinette no longer had to pause the fight to hash out strategy. It was like they could anticipate the other’s moves.

Halfway through the battle, the chat window updated with a reply. **How can you not be your bosses favorite. Isn’t everyone you know in love with mew.**

Marinette blushed, deeply. Her fingers were too busy to type back, so the message just stayed there, blinking slowly in the corner of her screen, throwing her attack patterns completely off balance. As soon as the victory music began to play she took her hands off her keyboard and covered her cheeks, trying unsuccessfully to smother the grin that was overtaking her.

Finally she composed herself enough to type, **says the guy whos still too afraid to meet in person**.

 **Well there’s a lot to be afurraid of** , he shot back half a second later. They went around to collect their loot, and then Chat Noir added, simply, **Hey.**

For some reason that single line sent Marinette’s heart racing. **what** , she typed back.

 **If we’d found each other just a week earlier we could have hung out during fall recess**.

Marinette released a breath. **i know** , she responded. They’d actually met during the break, during what Marinette wasn’t (very) ashamed to admit had been a five-hour-long session of killing fantasy monsters to unwind. But by the time they even got to talk about non-game things, the break was almost over.

Chat Noir’s next message didn’t come for almost half a minute, but when it did Marinette’s heart jumped to her throat. **I leave work early on Sunday** , he wrote.

Sunday, as in just six days from now. Marinette glanced over at her wall calendar but she already knew the answer. **i do too, same** , she typed back, with shaking fingers. Was this finally it?

The response came just a moment later. **Look Ladybug I hope you don’t think I’m kitten around since you just brought it up but since I have that evening furee could I purr-suade you to meet me for dinner.**

Marinette had to stare at the message for a minute before she could even process it. Her avatar on the screen stood still, and for once so did Chat Noir’s. No running around or bouncing to get her attention. She imagined him, the real him, sitting behind his own computer screen, waiting.

’ **furee’ is a bit of a stretch** , she typed. Her face was probably bright red at this point but there was no changing that any time soon.

 **I was** , came his reply, and for a few seconds that was it. Then, **I was trying it out.**

**It looks too much like ‘furry’**

The Chat Noir on screen started walking down the game path. **God. Yeah. OK. Nevermind let’s just go find this boss room already and finish this dungeon.**

Marinette couldn’t help but giggle. **i heard about this cute cafe just a few blocks from my school campus. my best friend wanted us to try it out together, but i dont mind disappointing her.**

Her heart was beating too quickly. The few seconds it took for Chat Noir to respond seemed like an eternity.

**You mean I’m not your best fur-end?**

**not if you keep up with those stupid cat puns** , she typed. **but im still willing to give dinner a shot**.

Chat Noir’s reply was exactly what Marinette expected it to be. **Pawsome.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you to Kaelvas on tumblr for helping me figure out cat puns <3


	3. 9 Décembre au Matin

Adrien knew today would be a horrible day the moment he spotted Marinette on the sidewalk on his way to the cafe. There were still ten hours until his meeting but he wanted to scope the place out early, to make sure nothing went wrong. Obviously the universe had other plans.

“Adrien?” Marinette said when she spotted him too. He was half tempted to duck into the closest shop door, but the shops were closed, and besides, she’d already seen him.

She looked shocked, which at least meant she hadn’t tracked him down to torture him on purpose. “Marinette,” he said back. “Good morning. I didn’t think I’d see you for a couple more hours, at least. You are working today, right?”

“Yes, I _do_ know how to keep track of my schedule,”she said with a huff.

By this point Adrien should have learned just to keep his mouth shut around Marinette. She managed to turn everything he said into some sort of argument, and today of all days he didn’t have time for it.

“OK,” he said lamely. “I guess I’ll… see you there?”

For a moment Adrien thought Marinette was going to try to fight him on that point, but she seemed to decide against it. All she said was, “Yeah.” She gave a curt nod that felt uncomfortably similar to Adrien’s father’s, raised a hand in a half-waved, and continued on her way.

Adrien watched her go for a moment, surprised at how easily he’d managed to get out of that. If he had to guess he’d say something was distracting her. Not that he could pass judgment; he felt pretty distracted himself. Today was the big day.

The cafe Ladybug had told him about was not much further. Tables and chairs lined the sidewalk outside, most of them empty this time of day. It was a cute little place, not too expensive but not too cheap, either. Adrien pictured Ladybug coming here, seeing the place lit up at night, seeing him there waiting for her, and his heart began to race.

Tonight was the night. _Tonight_! He picked out a table, some distance from the door, and tried to imagine what Ladybug would look like when they saw each other for the first time. What color the flower in her hair would be. If she’d roll her eyes at his tie.

Would she laugh at his puns, or would she grow tired of them? Would they see each other and smile and talk as easily as they did online, or would they sit there in awkward silence? Would she think he was plain and boring?

A waitress came by to offer Adrien a menu, but he only took it long enough to memorize his order for that evening, and handed it back. It wasn’t even time for work yet, but Adrien couldn’t sit still. He had no idea how he was going to get through the entire day.

-

Adrien was going to get emotional whiplash.

He’d reread his letters from Ladybug before work and his heart would soar – then he’d run into his father again, and it would plummet. Something in the last few weeks had changed between them. His father had stopped asking about grades, which was a relief, but he’d stopped showing any interest in Adrien’s life whatsoever. He almost seemed to be angry about something, and Adrien could not imagine what it was.

Before Marinette had been hired, Adrien didn’t dread going in to work the way he did now. Not only did that girl seem to hate him, but it was the only time of the day he saw his father, who spent almost all of his time at the shop now. Adrien stuffed his things into his school bag as reluctantly as possible, trying to delay the inevitable.

Nino met him on the way to work, as usual, and raised an eyebrow when he saw the bag. “It is Sunday, right?” he asked. “Why are you bringing that to work?”

“Tonight’s the night,” Andrien said, and thoughts of Ladybug lifted his sinking spirits. He rested a hand over the canvas of the bag and smiled. “I’m finally meeting her.”

“Letter girl?” Nino asked. “For real?”

Adrien nodded. “It’s Ladybug,” he corrected, “but yeah. I brought two other shirts to change into, just in case, my tie, and a gift.”

“You’re wearing a tie to your date?”

They hadn’t specifically called this meeting a ‘date’, but Adrien elected not to correct his friend. If everything went well tonight – fingers crossed – it actually would be. A date with Ladybug. He couldn’t help but grin.

“It’s so she can recognize me,” Adrien explained. “I told her to look for a handsome man in a black tie with a cat paw on it, and that’d be me.” He resisted the urge to pull it out to show Nino. He’d spent about an hour practicing tying it, and it had taken an embarrassingly long time to get rolled up.

“What handsome man?” Nino asked with a roll of his eyes. “You mean the nervous university student with a cat fixation?” He let out a loud laugh, then asked, “How’d she ever agree to go out with you in the first place?”

“Oh, and where’s your girlfriend?” Adrien asked. “If you’re such a better catch than me, how come you don’t have a hot date tonight?”

He expected Nino to shoot back another quick retort, but instead Nino’s face flushed. “I’m working on it,” he mumbled.

Adrien stopped mid-stride, but Nino kept walking, looking embarrassed now. “Wait, really?” Adrien called as he jogged to catch up. “Anyone I know?”

“You’ll make fun of me,” Nino said, which, as far as Adrien was concerned, was not an answer. Adrien was about to push him further but Nino picked up his pace, and said, “Come on. I don’t want to be late.”

They were only half a block from the shop. “We’re already early,” Adrien pointed out. “You’re just avoiding the question. So it _is_ someone I know?” When Nino didn’t respond, Adrien added, “I’m not gonna make fun of you.”

“Oh look!” Nino said a bit too loud. He stopped in front of the shop and gave a dramatic shrug. “We’re here already! Guess we can’t keep talking about this!”

“Nino!”

-

“Why would she come to work dressed so fancy?” Chloe asked aloud during their meal break.

“Who?” Adrien asked. He hadn’t been paying attention to a word of their conversation, too busy looking up ice breaking conversation starters on his phone.

“ _Marinette_ ,” Chloe said with over-dramatic exasperation. She was scrolling through her Instagram feed while talking. “Didn’t you see her dress? It’s obviously new, and those _heels_ , for an eight hour shift? Who is she trying to impress?”

Only Chloe would notice if someone’s clothes were new. “The dress code _is_ ‘semi-formal’,” Adrien mumbled. He checked the clock for the tenth time in as many minutes. His date with Ladybug was in only five hours. “Aren’t we always dressed kinda fancy?”

“There’s a difference, trust me,” Chloe said. She didn’t notice Adrien’s disinterest in the topic. He didn’t want to waste his time worrying about Marinette, not today. If Adrien had felt more confident in himself he’d say that even she couldn’t ruin his day – but the truth was, he was so nervous he wanted to throw up.

With Adrien’s luck, something bad was _bound_ to happen today. His father had barely looked at him that morning, and he’d caught no less than three stink eyes from Marinette. When Adrien’s and Chloe’s break ended, and Marinette and Alya came in to take theirs, he was pretty sure he caught a fourth. He hadn’t yet caused a disaster, but any minute now….

Marinette’s dress was nicer than usual, though, now that Adrien was paying attention to it. She’d even done her hair up in a bun. If she was anyone else in the shop, he would have complimented her. But Marinette would just take his comments as an act of aggression, so Adrien kept his mouth shut.

His father was standing out on the sales floor when he and Chloe returned, which was enough to startle Adrien mid-stride. He looked down his nose and the two and said, “Ms. Bourgeois. Adrien. Please try not to go beyond your allotted break time. I can’t afford to pay you to hide from customers.”

The shop was empty, besides a single customer at the register, where Juleka was silently fumbling through a transaction. “S-sorry,” Chloe said sheepishly.

“Sorry,” Adrien echoed.

“Ms. Bourgeois, please take assist Juleka with her customer.” Chloe nodded and walked away, but just as Adrien was about to follow, his father added, “When were the cutting tools zoned last, Adrien?”

“Uh, just this morning,” Adrien said. Every aisle of the shop was zoned first thing in the morning. There weren’t enough aisles for the whole thing to take longer than thirty minutes.

“Then why,” Mr. Agreste asked, “does it look like it hasn’t been touched in a week?”

Adrien had no idea how to respond. He hadn’t worked that specific aisle that morning – in fact he hadn’t even walked down it yet that day. It seemed his father had progressed from refusing to acknowledge his son’s presence to blaming Adrien for every little thing gone wrong.

“I-I,” Adrien stuttered, “I can go fix it right now?”

“Please do.” Mr. Agreste turned as if to leave, then stopped and asked, “And why aren’t the shop windows dressed for Christmas?”

Because Christmas wasn’t for another two week. Adrien couldn’t say that. “We were waiting for you to tell us,” he started, but his father cut him off with a deep sigh.

“It’s frustrating that I must micromanage everything in this shop, when you’ve been working with me for five years now. You know full well I expect those windows dressed. Very well,” he added quickly, before Adrien could protest. “Everyone will have to stay late tonight to get it done.”

“Late?” Adrien said. “I, uh, I can’t stay late.”

“And why not?”

There was no way Adrien was telling his father about his date. “I have a meeting.”

“A meeting. With who?”

“The, uh, school,” Adrien lied.

“On a sunday?”

“Yes. It’s the only time they can squeeze me in.” That part wasn’t really a lie, not really. Ladybug did seem just as busy as Adrien himself. “I can stay late tomorrow, or the day after, or really any other day this week-”

“That won’t be necessary,” Mr. Agreste said, with a small shake of his head. “I’m sure the staff will get on just fine without you.” With that, he turned and went back into his office.

Adrien watched him disappear, stunned. He’d gotten out of the extra work, but his father’s cold dismissal was somehow worse than the controlling anger Adrien had feared. Why was his father suddenly so mad at him?”

Juleka, freed from register duties, hovered nearby. “Hey, Adrien,” she mumbled, and he turned to meet her eye. “Why’s your dad being such a hardass?”

Adrien could only shrug. “Are you good to stay late tonight?”

“Sure, whatever. Is he mad at you about something?”

Adrien glanced back at the closed office door. “Probably,” he said. “But I have no idea why.” And he didn’t have time to worry about it, either. He had less than five hours now until he had to be at the cafe. Less than five hours to plan exactly how their conversation was going to go, so he didn’t make a full of himself and have Ladybug hate him forever. Less than five hours to try to keep everything from going wrong.

-

Adrien and Marinette got stuck on workroom cleaning duty when her break was over. Alya announced this almost gleefully and shoved them into the back with a twinkle in her eye that made Adrien suspect she’d gotten out of the assignment herself. Which didn’t make sense to him, because it wasn’t even the worst job in the shop. As long as the person you were assigned with didn’t hate your guts.

The workroom was where Mr. Agreste and Nathalie took client measurements and did all the sewing. There were a few sewing machines out on the tables, and bolts of fabric lined up on a shelf, and a rack of labeled hangers with the tailored garments. Whenever there was work to do, the room quickly turned into a mess.

“Do you want the tables or floors?” Adrien asked Marinette. He could avoid a pointless argument if he just let her make the decisions.

“Tables,” Marinette said. “Do you mind… if I take my sandals off?”

“Go right ahead,” Adrien said. She slipped them off by the door and rolled her ankles in relief. “I don’t know how you manage to work in those all day. They look painful.”

“Yeah, well,” Marinette started to retort, but then she bit back whatever she’d been about to say. Adrien was busy digging the vacuum out of the closet, and glanced out to see her shaking her head. Maybe she was finally ready to let up on the fighting?

That was as good a sign as Adrien could imagine. “Oh, by the way,” he said, dragging the vacuum to the corner, “are you good to stay late tonight?”

“Stay late? What? Why?”

Marinette had been collecting the tools off the sewing tables, but paused to give Adrien a panicked look. “To decorate the shop windows,” he said. “Father just told me a little bit ago. Didn’t you hear?”

“No! I can’t stay late, not tonight!”

“Why?” Adrien asked.

“I have a date,” Marinette said, then she leveled Adrien with a glare. “Of course I have a date. You must have figured that out.”

Adrien had plugged the vacuum in, but he didn’t bother turning it on. It seemed an argument was inevitable now. So much for good signs. “Why would I have figured _that_ out?”

“Why do you think I’m wearing these stupid sandals?” Marinette said, waving her hand at the offending shoes. “I know you’d love to make me miserable, but I really don’t have time for that tonight.”

“I-” Adrien found it hard to speak. “Marinette, that’s not fair.”

“Oh sure,” she said, and there it was. The fifth stink eye of the day. “Maybe you’re the one who gave your dad the clever idea to ruin my night. Just to get back at me for not putting up with your bullshit, the way everyone else does.”

“What-? What bullshit?” Adrien narrowed his eyes. “Marinette, you’ve been rude to be since day one. And I’ve put up with it, because my father obviously likes you-”

“A fact which you obviously resent me for,” Marinette cut in. She crossed her arms angrily.

“I don’t-!” Adrien stopped to take a breath, to keep his voice from raising. “I don’t resent you,” he tried again.

“Oh, don’t you?”

He tried to ignore the comment. “Marinette, I don’t think we’re ever going to get along,” he said, and he sighed. “But you’re good at your job, which means we’re going to have to keep seeing each other for a while. So… so if I tell my father you can’t stay tonight, and I _try_ to stay out of your way from now on, can you just… lay off? A bit?”

Marinette definitely looked like she wanted to keep fighting. Adrien held out a hand, and asked again, “Truce?”

There was a tense minute where Marinette stared down at his hand, then back up at his face, before she finally said, “Fine.” She turned her back on Adrien, ignoring his offered hand, and went back to sorting tools on the work table.

Adrien dropped his hand back to his side. “Fine,” he echoed. He switched on the vacuum.

They didn’t say a word to each other for the rest of the shift.


	4. 9 Décembre au Soir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

“I’m not going after all,” Marinette told Alya after the shop closed. Her stomach had been tying itself in knots all day, and when Mr. Agreste told them to stay late it gave Marinette the perfect excuse to bail out at the last minute. “I’ll just tell Chat Noir my boss made me stay late. It’ll be fine.”

“But Adrien said his dad was fine with you leaving early,” Alya said. She was closing up her register and preparing it for Nathalie, and frowned at her friend. “And _he_ already left.”

“Yeah, and can we talk about Adrien trying to make _me_ stay late when _he_ was already planning on running out early?” Marinette asked. He’d dashed out the door, with his schoolbag of all things, just before his dad had locked it. “I tell him I’ve got a date and he thinks I’m lying, but he has to rush out for tutoring?”

“Don’t change the subject,” Alya said, “that’s a date you’re now planning to _bail on_. And I won’t let you do it. You’re going.”

Nathalie came and got the register drawer, and Marinette began her usual nightly cleanup routine. “I didn’t really think this thing with Chat Noir all the way through, Alya,” Marinette complained. “I don’t know him that well, and it’s already getting dark-”

“And you’re meeting at a cafe,” Alya pointed out, “which is in public and well lit. And you’ve been writing him love letters for like a _month_ , Marinette! You _have_ to go!”

Marinette frowned but didn’t respond. Her heart was still doing backflips in her chest. First dates were always nerve-wracking but this time seemed so much worse, and she couldn’t understand why. What if he met her and he didn’t like her? What if _she_ met _him_ and couldn’t stand him? What if she said something stupid in person, where she couldn’t backspace and retype her thoughts, and made a fool of herself?

“How about we make a deal?” Alya said. She handed Marinette the full trash bag to tie while she lined the can with a new one. “If you go through with this date you already promised you’d go on, I’ll say yes to Nino when he asks me to go out with him.”

Marinette blinked in surprise. “Did Nino ask you to go out with him?” she asked.

“No. But he will. If he ever works up the nerve,” Alya added under her breath.

Before Marinette could think of anything to respond with, the phone on the front counter started to ring. She and Alya looked at each other, neither knowing what to do, and just as suddenly as it started it stopped. The call light was still on.

“Mr. Agreste must have picked it up in his office,” Alya said.

“Who would be calling this late?” Chloe asked. She and Juleka had just started pulling decoration boxes out of the back room, and they paused by the register to see what was going on. None of the girls could answer that question, and a moment later the call light on the phone turned off. They shrugged, and Marinette was just about to follow them to the back for the other boxes when the office doorway opened.

Mr. Agreste opened his mouth to speak, but it was a moment before any sound came out. “Thank you for agreeing to stay tonight,” he finally said. His voice was quieter than usual. “I’ve changed my mind. You can all go home.”

He disappeared back into his office without another word.

“Great. And I _just_ told Sabrina not to wait up for me,” Chloe whined.

-

Marinette stood just around the corner from the cafe, hidden from view by an old brick building, clutching the fabric lotus flower she’d made for this night between her palms. She shook her head insistently at Alya.

“I’ll just tell him I had work!” she whispered, but Alya wasn’t giving up.

“Girl, it’s been twenty minutes. Just go _over_ there already!” Alya tried pushing Marinette out around the corner, but fear rooted her in place. He could be an old bald creep for all she knew! He could have been catfishing her, or trying to steal her identity, or really _anything_.

Alya growled in frustration and Marinette tried to gather her courage. “You… you go first,” she said weakly.

“What?”

“Just check it out! See if he looks like a creep, o-or mad that I’m late, or if he left already? Or if he’s an old man who wants to kill me. I’ll stay right here!” she added when Alya shot her a suspicious look, “I promise! Just… look?”

“Fine,” Alya sighed, and she poked her head around the street corner. Cafe tables littered the sidewalk, and streetlights bathed the scene in a warm glow. Alya squinted her eyes. “What’s he supposed to be wearing?”

“A black tie,” Marinette said. She looked down at the lotus flower in her hands. She’d spent hours on it, cutting and stitching the red and black fabric together by hand. “A tie with a paw print on it. I told him that wouldn’t stand out that much but he said it would be very noticeable, so he probably looks pretty ridiculous. And then I wear the lotus flower in my hair. He didn’t know what a lotus was so I told him it would be pretty distinct, so maybe _I_ look ridiculous too?”

She was rambling. Marinette shut her mouth.

“Uh… huh,” Alya said. Marinette glanced back up at her, and her eyes were wide.

“What is it?” Marinette asked. Her heartbeat quickened. “Do you… do you see him?”

Alya turned to look at her friend and she looked… apprehensive? “White shirt, black tie, green paw print?” she asked, and Marinette slowly nodded her head. “I see him.”

Marinette’s heart filled with dread. “Is he… old?”

“Nope,” Alya said, but her voice climbed an octave. “He’s our age.”

“Oh,” Marinette said. “Is he… ugly?”

“Uh. I don’t think so,” Alya said.

“You don’t _think_ so?”

“He’s not ugly. He’s actually kind of like….”Alya’s voice trailed off, and she met Marinette’s eyes with something of a panicked expression. Marinette did not like it at all. “He actually reminds me of someone we know.”

“Someone we know?” Marinette couldn’t think of any mutual friends they had outside of work. “You mean, like a celebrity?”

“No, no,” Alya said, “more like… like Adrien?”

Marinette’s hopeful expression crumbled. “What?” she said. “Are you sure you’re looking at the right guy? I don’t think I could date a boy who looked like _him_.”

Alya glanced back around the corner, and frowned. “Well,” she said, “if you don’t think you could ever get over your issues with Adrien, I don’t think you’ll like this guy either.”

“Do they look that much alike?” Marinette asked.

“No,” Alya said. “He _is_ Adrien.”

Marinette could almost hear the blood rushing out of her face. “What?” she said stupidly.

“See for yourself,” Alya said, and she stepped away from the corner to give Marinette room to peek around. “He’s right over there, about halfway down the sidewalk, looking the other way.”

Marinette leaned out halfway to look. There, just where Alya had indicated, sat a boy at one of the cafe tables. He was a ways away but he certainly _looked_ like Adrien all right, his hair styled just a touch differently. It looked like he was still wearing his work uniform, except now he had on a black tie with a big, obnoxious, green paw print.

Adrien’s school bag hung off the back of his chair.

“Oh god,” Marinette said. She ducked back around the corner and collapsed against the brick wall. “I have to go. I have to go right now.”

Alya grabbed Marinette’s shoulders to stop her from dashing away, and she looked square into her eyes. “Girl you are going to go _talk_ to him,” she said, “right now.” She spun Marinette around. This time, instead of being rooted in place, Marinette pulled back.

“I can’t!” she practically wailed. “It’s Adrien! It _can’t_ be Adrien! I wrote all those embarrassing letters and then he’s see it’s _me_ and he’ll think I’m pathetic and it _can’t_ be Adrien!”

“Hey,” Alya said with a smirk, “I heard he wrote some pretty embarrassing love letters, too.”

Marinette tried to cover her blush with her hands, but it didn’t do much good. “There has to be a mistake,” she said, and she poked her head back around the corner. Adrien was still sitting there, fidgeting with the cafe menu, readjusting his tie so the design showed better.

“Then go find out,” Alya said. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

“He’ll laugh at me,” Marinette said with absolute confidence. “Then he’ll yell at me. Then he’ll tell his dad to fire me and I won’t be able to pay for classes anymore and I’ll have to drop out of school and marry a rival baker just to keep my parent’s bakery from closing and I’ll _never_ get to be a fashion designer.”

Alya shook her head with a sigh. “None of that is going to happen,” she said, “and Adrien would never do that, anyway. Marinette, I love you, but if you don’t go over there and talk to Adrien right now, _I_ am going to tell him, tomorrow at work.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes. “We don’t work tomorrow.”

“Tuesday then.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Marinette said.

Alya put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder and stared hard into her best friend’s eyes. “I would,” she said.

Marinette deflated. “ _Fine_ …” she said, and she peeked back around the corner. Adrien Agreste – also Chat Noir? She _prayed_ not – was still sitting there, now fidgeting with something in is lap, and Marinette took a breath to gather her nerves. The fabric lotus flower was crumbled between her fingers, so she stuffed it into a pocket of her dress to get it out of the way. Then she stepped out onto the street.

The other cafe patrons mostly ignored her as she shuffled past. Adrien was staring at whatever was in his hands, so he didn’t see Marinette until she was standing next to his table. When he looked up, his expression was so… hopeful, that it made the following grimace even worse.

“Marinette?” he said, and she was pretty sure she saw his eyes glance up at her hair for a moment. Checking for the lotus flower. “What the hell are _you_ doing here?”

“I-I could ask you the same thing,” she said. “You ran out of work so fast, I thought it might be for something important. But you just wanted to get dinner, alone?”

Adrien set something down so he could fold his arms, and Marinette finally saw what he’d been holding. A Jagged Stone CD. The album she’d told Chat Noir she really wanted. “I’m not eating by myself. I’m waiting for someone,” Adrien said, but Marinette wasn’t fully listening.She felt dizzy.

“You… listen to Jagged Stone?” she asked.

“Yes,” Adrien said defensively. “Just because I work at a sewing shop doesn’t mean I can’t love rock music.”

“I just thought,” Marinette started to say, but she stopped herself. He was right. She worked at a sewing shop too, after all, and Jagged Stone was her favorite musician. “Your dad always plays classical,” she tried instead, but it felt inadequate even as she said it.

Adrien huffed. “Yeah,” he said. He wasn’t looking at Marinette anymore; he glanced down the street, both ways, searching for someone in the thin early evening crowd. Searching for Ladybug. “Guess there’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”

That was obviously true. Or… not, actually. There were a lot of things Marinette _did_ know about Adrien, now that she knew he was Chat Noir. She felt her face heating up again, and muttered, “There’s probably a lot of things you don’t know about me, either.”

“Maybe,” Adrien agreed, “but I know the important stuff.”

“Oh yeah?” Marinette asked. Now _she_ was feeling defensive. “Like what?”

“Like I told you I was waiting for someone,” Adrien said, and he gestured towards the other chair at his table, which Marinette was standing behind. “But you’re still standing there, acting like you’re the one I was waiting for. Because you don’t understand when you’re being rude.”

“Oh!” Marinette said, and she took a step back. “Well, if you wanted me to go away you should have just _said_ so, like a _normal_ person!”

“ _Please_ ,” Adrien said, with a sweet smile dripping with sarcasm, “go somewhere else.”

Marinette glared. “Fine.” She could feel Alya’s eyes still on her but didn’t dare to look. She stalked over to the next table, which was thankfully empty, and plopped herself down on the first chair, crossing her arms defiantly. Adrien stared sideways at her, then rolled his eyes.

“Real mature, Marinette,” he said. He snatched the Jagged Stone CD out of view again. “I thought you said you had a date tonight. Did he take one look at you and run away?”

Marinette smiled at the irony of the question. “The opposite, actually,” she said. “I took one look at _him_ , and decided he wasn’t worth the time.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said, “I imagine that’s a pretty high bar to jump over.

“Oh, and what about you?” Marinette asked, though she already knew the answer. “This is a nice place, and you _said_ you were waiting for someone. Where’s your date, then?”

Adrien didn’t answer right away, and she knew she’d struck a nerve. “She’s coming,” he finally said, and he straightened his tie. “And I’d appreciate it if you weren’t here when she arrives.”

Marinette squeezed as much condescension into her tone as she could when she replied, “So it _is_ a date.” She shook her head mockingly, and caught Adrien glaring at her. “And you’re wearing _that_?”

Adrien looked down at his tie, then crossed his arms over it. Marinette kept going.

“You call _my_ standards high,” she said, “but I can’t _imagine_ what kind of girl could possibly live up to yours.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Adrien asked.

“It means I’ve met your dad, Adrien,” Marinette said. She knew she was treading into deep waters but she couldn’t stop herself now. “It’s like looking at a snapshot of who you’re going to be in twenty years: a stuck up, selfish snob, working an insignificant shop by yourself because no one in your life can stand to stay!”

Adrien banged his hands on the table and rose to his feet in an instant, glaring daggers. “Marinette, have been friends with Chloe my entire like and I _know_ she rubs people the wrong way,” he said, his voice almost a growl, “but you are by far the _meanest_ , most unnecessarily cruel person I have _ever_ had to put up with.”

“I-”

“You call me selfish?” Adrien cut her off before she could speak. “I’ve never met a single person more insistent on getting everything her own way, _including_ my own father, who at least worked hard to get what he has! Unlike you, who _demanded_ to be handed a job at s/ome ‘insignificant shop’ because you, what? Had nothing better to do, while running around, telling everyone you were some sort of fashion designer? Were you lying about that too?”

Marinette felt like she’d been slapped in the face. She opened her mouth to respond but her brain was in complete meltdown, and she couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

She was spared the effort by the sudden appearance of a waiter. “Monsieur, Mademoiselle, if you’re going to fight I must insist you do so elsewhere!”

A panicked look crossed Adrien’s face, and he started to argue, but Marinette pushed herself out of her seat. “It’s OK,” she said, her voice small. “I was just leaving.” She hurried down the street away from the cafe and the corner where Alya probably still stood watching, and spared no second look back.

-

It rained all the next day.

It should have been a good day for Marinette – she didn’t have work, her last class was canceled, she’d just gotten paid a few days earlier – but instead she was miserable. She hadn’t slept a wink. The combination stress and cold was even starting to make her feel sick, and she couldn’t even go online to blow off some steam. Chat Noir would see if she did, and she didn’t know what to say to him.

She hadn’t shown up last night. Or, she had, but he wouldn’t have realized it. I would be heartbroken. _She_ was heartbroken. And she was exhausted, and it just would not stop raining.

That morning it had only been a light drizzle, and Marinette had left her parents’ apartment without bothering to look at the forecast. She could survive a drizzle until it dried out. The problem was this one never did; it turned into a full-on rainstorm, leaving her stranded in the entrance of the main campus building, staring out at the sheets of water falling from the sky. Wishing she’d remembered to bring an umbrella.

She was trying to figure out how far she could run without getting her textbooks soaked when she heard a voice behind her call out her name. A voice Marinette recognized with dread. She turned, and saw Adrien standing there, staring at her in surprise.

“I… I didn’t know you went to this school,” he said. She wanted to make a retort – _there’s a lot of things you don’t know about me_ – but she didn’t have it in her.

“Yeah,” she said instead. She glanced away, suddenly feeling ashamed. “I’m… sorry about the things I said last night.”

Adrien didn’t look shocked by her apology. He didn’t look angry, either. He just looked sad. “Yeah,” he said back. “I’m sorry too. I was out of line.”

“No.” Marinette made sure to catch his eye before she continued. “I was the one out of line. What I said about your dad, and about you, that was… really uncalled for. I completely understand if you hate me, o-or if you never want to speak to me again.”

There were a few seconds of silence, and then Adrien said, “Well, it turned out you were right, in a way.” He chuckled, hollow and cold. “She never showed up.” He stared down at the floor with the saddest smile Marinette had ever seen on a person, and her heart broke for the second day in a row.

“She… she didn’t?” Marinette asked. Adrien didn’t seem to notice the way her voice cracked. He shook his head.

“I guess our date wasn’t as important to her,” he said. He clutched a closed umbrella tightly between his hands, fiddling with the fabric. “Or she did show up, and she took one look at me and decided….”

Marinette didn’t know what to say. She tried to reach a hand out in a comforting gesture, but found that her body wouldn’t move. “I’m sure that wasn’t it,” she said. “I’m sure there’s a good explanation.”

“That’s what you did, though,” Adrien said. “So it can’t be all that uncommon.”

“I… I just said that to be mean,” Marinette confessed. She tried to grin, but she couldn’t tell if the expression was coming out right. “I don’t know if you know this, but I’m not always the nicest person.”

Now when Adrien chuckled, it sounded real. “It’s true, Lady– I mean, this lady is _very_ nice. And kind. And we have the same taste in music, which goes a long way.” He met her eyes again and gave a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I shouldn’t bother you with all that.”

“N-no, you’re fine – _it’s_ fine!” Marinette squeaked. “I-I just just hope she didn’t… see me, and get the wrong idea?”

“Well if that was the case, then I’d never forgive you,” Adrien said, and Marinette was shocked to recognize Chat Noir’s teasing tone. “I’m joking,” he added with a soft smile. He glanced past her out into the rain, and then down at the umbrella in his hands. “Are you taking the metro home?” he asked.

“I don’t – no I’m – I walk,” Marinette stammered.

“Then here.” He held the umbrella out to her.

Marinette blinked at it. “Don’t you…?”

Adrien shrugged. “The tunnel isn’t too far from here,” he said, “and I think I can survive the rain for that long. You sound like you need it more than me.”

“O-oh,” Marinette said, and she reached out, surprised she could move her arm. The fabric of the umbrella was still warm from Adrien’s grip. “T-thank you. I-I’ll give it back, I p-promise.”

“No problem.” Adrien shifted his bag to secure it and stepped closer to the doorway. He stared out at the rain for a moment before turning back to Marinette. “Yknow,” he said thoughtfully, “I think we just got off on the wrong foot. I don’t think you’re as bad as I thought you were.”

“Oh, uh,” Marinette said. “Uh.”

Adrien overlooked her stammering and braced himself for the rain. “See you tomorrow?” he said.

“Y-yeah, see you… tom-” Marinette gulped. “Tomor – Tomor-”

If Adrien noticed her stuttering, he didn’t say anything. With a small wave, he turned and ran out into the rain, and Marinette realized her face had turned bright red.


	5. Entr'acte

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a bit later than I intended, so sorry and thank you to everyone who's been waiting! Just one more to go!

“ _Dude_ ,” Nino said that morning, standing on Adrien’s doorstep, “your dad almost _fired_ you.”

There was a light drizzle and Adrien instinctively reached for an umbrella before stepping outside, and he couldn’t even process what Nino had said because he was too busy nursing his broken heart. Ladybug never showed up. She hadn’t even logged on last night to explain herself. He’d barely gotten any sleep agonizing over it.

Adrien didn’t realize how far he’d zoned out until Nino set a hand on his shoulder. They’d already walked several meters down the sidewalk and Nino was staring at him in concern. “Earth to Adrien?”

“Sorry,” Adrien said. He shook his head to try to clear his anxious thoughts. “You said… something about my father?”

“Yeah,” Nino said. “He found out about your letters.”

That had the opposite effect from easing Adrien’s anxiety. “He… what?” Adrien said. Nino nodded, and he looked too serious for this to be some sort of bad joke. Adrien could hear the blood rushing through his ears.

“I don’t know how, but he knew you were writing someone. Apparently for a while now. And it gets worse.”

Adrien couldn’t imagine how that could be true. His father was already hypercritical of the girls Adrien showed interest in, he certainly wouldn’t approve of a girl Adrien met playing video games. Besides, Ladybug probably hated Adrien by now anyways.

They entered a crowded metro tunnel and Nino lowered his voice a bit, so only Adrien could hear. “He thought it was your mom.”

“My… what?” Adrien said again. Nino kept nodding, but Adrien was more confused than ever. “How could I be writing my mother? I haven’t heard from her since she disappeared!”

“I don’t know, dude, but that’s what he said.” They found an empty spot along the wall to wait for their train. Slowly, several things started to click in Adrien’s head.

“That’s why he’s been so mad lately,” Adrien said, more to himself than to Nino. “He must have thought I was going behind his back, and… and how did you hear about this?” Adrien asked his friend with a raised eyebrow. “He just _told_ you?”

Nino grimaced. “No, he… after you left yesterday, your dad kicked _everyone_ out of the shop. But I was in the back so I didn’t hear. I didn’t realize anything was happening until this private investigator guy showed up, and I was listening to them talk-”

“My father hired a private investigator? To… find my mother?”

“I… think he was just spying on you,” Nino said. He gave a sympathetic frown. “He was _really_ pissed when the investigator showed up, said he would have fired you for lying if you hadn’t slipped out so quickly. And then this investigator dude said he found the girl you were writing and of course it _wasn’t_ your mom, and your dad got all quiet-”

Adrien’s heart started beating faster. “He found Ladybug?” he interrupted.

“Yeah, man, but that’s not the point here.” Nino sighed. The train finally arrived and they squeezed on board and found a spot in a corner. “The point is you really dodged a bullet there. And I don’t know if you’re in the clear yet, so I wanted to warn you. So you can be more careful with your secret girlfriend.”

Adrien’s heart sank into his stomach as he remembered just how well his ‘date’ with Ladybug had gone last night. “It’s alright,” he told Nino. “I’m probably not going to be writing Ladybug anymore anyway.”

“What? Why?” Nino asked. “Did you finally realize how passe writing letters is, and get her phone number?”

“No,” Adrien said. “She… never showed up last night.”

Nino winced. “Ouch. I’m sorry, man. That sucks.” Adrien just nodded, and they watched the dark tunnel pass by the train windows for a moment. “Maybe she had a good reason?”

“Like what?”

“Like, I don’t know, her boss was being a _dick_ and made everyone stay late just because he got mad his star employee was keeping a secret girlfriend? Or, in her case, boyfriend.” Adrien chuckled. “Just wait, man, you’ll get a letter from her by the end of the day explaining the whole thing and everything will be fine. You’ll see.”

Adrien sighed. The train pulled up to their stop, and the pair started to shuffle through the crowd back out into the tunnel. “I hope so, Nino,” Adrien said. “I really hope so.”

-

There were three messages from Ladybug already waiting for Adrien to read the moment he logged into the game that evening. His hair was still wet from running in the rain, and he would have regretted giving his umbrella to Marinette if the look of shocked gratitude on her face hadn’t been so satisfying – and suddenly the server loaded and the messages popped onto his screen.

**hey! im sorry i didnt show up last night! im REALLY sorry!! i really meant to, and then stuff happened and its not a good excuse i just wanted you to know it wasnt your fault!**

**pls dont be upset. i understand if youre upset, i would be too i think, but stuff came up at work and i couldn’t get out of it, and by the time i got to the cafe you were talking to this other girl and i lost my nerve?**

**thats a terrible excuse, i was really nervous, im sorry.**

Ladybug’s player icon was lit up to show she was already online. Adrien flushed. He fumbled for his microphone and switched it on and said, before he could overthink his response, “You showed up.”

The program filled his words into the text box and he quickly hit the enter key. He waited for Ladybug’s reply, and it only came half a minute later but it felt like an eternity. **yeah. i liked your tie**

_She liked his tie!_ Adrien beamed at his computer screen and couldn’t stop himself from giggling. “I knew you would,” he said into the microphone. The words filled in but before sending them, Adrien tapped the screen and it autocorrected his spelling. **I mew you would.**

**im NOT sorry for missing all the horrible puns you must have spent all day preparing** , Ladybug wrote back. Adrien laughed out loud at that, but before he could respond a second message appeared. **i AM sorry for not showing up tho. that was really rude of me**

Adrien’s heart was already beating faster. His Ladybug had _been there_. She hadn’t ditched him or stood him up; it was just poor timing. **You don’t really need to apawlogize. It sounds like this was mostly Marinette’s fault anyways.**

**Marinette?** Ladybug typed back, just a bit longer than it should have taken her to type one word. Adrien almost slapped his forehead; of course she was confused, she had no clue who that girl at the cafe was.

“Yeah,” he said into the microphone, and his computer typed up his reply. **She’s a coworker of mine. We ran into each other after work.** He chuckled to himself, and added. **I warned her this might happen but we’re not exactly furr-ends.**

**oh?** was all Ladybug said.

Adrien waited for more, and when nothing else came he frowned. “Yeah,” he said again, “she’s the coworker I was telling you about. I’m pretty sure she hated me, but I think we’re cool now-” Adrien cut himself off as an idea formed. He deleted everything that had been typed up so far, and instead sent, **Why. Are you jealous.**

Ladybug’s reply came so late, he could just picture her typing and deleting it several times over. **of course not** , she wrote, **why would i be jealous? what would I be jealous of?** A moment later, she added, **i was just wondering why youre not friends with your coworkers**

**I am. But Marinette purretty much told me she hated me** , Adrien sent back. **Though I think we made up. I’m not sure.**

After another brief pause, Ladybug said, **i bet she doesnt HATE you**

**She’d tell you a different tail,** Adrien said, but then he frowned into the microphone. **If it’s all the same to mew I’d rather not talk about work all night.**

**then what would you rather talk about?**

At this Adrien grinned. **The fact that Christmas is coming up and I already bought you a purresent.**

**whyd you buy me a present? you didnt have to get me anything!** Ladybug said

“It was for our date,” Adrien said, then he immediately erased the message from the chat box. He scrambled for a more appropriate response. **It was furr our meeting,** he decided instead. **I had to bring something to bribe you into staying. In case you decided to bail right away. Which technically mew did,** he added.

**if id known there were gifts involved,** Ladybug typed back, **maybe i would have stuck around**

“Well, now you know,” Adrien said quietly to himself. The microphone still picked it up. He considered it a moment, then hit enter without changing the spelling.

**so,** Ladybug sent back. There was another pause before she finished her message. **do you want to reschedule our date for christmas eve then?**

Adrien could feel his face heating up. **Sure** , he said into the microphone, but the message looked too bland. He scooted the keyboard a little closer, and typed up **Yes!** , then immediately changed it to **Yeah!** He grinned stupidly at the chat box for a moment more, before erasing the message and writing, **That sounds purrfect!**

**a punctuation mark!** Ladybug replied. This time Adrien really did slap his forehead. **does that mean youre finally using your keyboard now, or did you have to say ‘exclamation mark’ into your fancy gaming mic?**

**Haven’t you teased me about my setup enough,** he asked, verbally, into the microphone. The program supplied a period at the end of his question, as usual. **You could get a microphone too. And then we could just voice Chat. Like efurryone else does. Wouldn’t that be easier.** He grinned, and added, **That’s a question by the way.**

**thanks for the clarification,** Ladybug replied, **its so confusing when you just make your robot servants do all the typing for you.**

**I think I’m taking back this purresent,** Adrien said.

**phew** , Ladybug sent back, **that means i dont have to get you anything now**. She added a winking face emoticon at the end, and Adrien found he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

–

He ran into Marinette again after classes the next day. Her eyes widened when she saw him and she stammered out a greeting, but she didn’t immediately turn to leave, or tell him to go away, so they’d definitely made an improvement.

“A-are you heading to work already?” she asked. There was still an hour until their shift started, but Adrien’s classes were done for the day and there was nothing else to do. “My last class is – my professor’s sick this week? So it… she canceled.”

Which… explained why she was always late, Adrien guessed. They didn’t work close enough to campus to afford having a class that ended just as their shift began. Not that Marinette could have known that when she applied for the job.

“Yeah,” Adrien answered. They were practically the only ones in the hallway, standing awkwardly near the exit. “Do you want to… walk to work together?” He gestured towards the door.

“Yes!” Marinette said, and she blushed a bit at her own over-enthusiasm. “I-I mean,” she added quickly, “if you’re going that way anyway….”

Adrien shrugged to himself, and he held the door open. Marinette smiled awkwardly as she ducked past him, and soon they fell in step walking down the sidewalk to the shop. After a quiet, tense moment, Marinette asked, “Did you ever – did your date ever… get back to you? About the other night?”

“Oh,” Adrien said. He couldn’t stop himself from laughing a bit. “Yes, actually. And she said it was your fault she didn’t show up.”

“M-my fault?” Marinette asked.

Adrien quickly waved a dismissive hand before she could start a fight. “It’s fine!” he said, “It’s kind of a joke. It’s… well, you were right, it turns out. She did come, but then she saw us talking, and got the wrong idea.”

Marinette nodded, but didn’t respond. They kept walking in comfortable silence, weaving through a crowd of pedestrians before she finally said, “I _am_ sorry about those things I said that night.”

In all his time knowing her, which admittedly wasn’t very long, Adrien had never known Marinette to apologize for _anything_ , unless it was to a customer. And she definitely never apologized twice. It was like something in the last couple of days had cracked open, and he was finally starting to see a different side of this girl – and she wasn’t that bad. It was weird… but also sort of nice.

He glanced over, and she was staring down at her shoes. “I forgive you,” he said, and when she finally looked up at him, he smiled. “I said some pretty mean things too, I recall. I hope you can forgive me for those as well?”

“O-of course!” Marinette said. She blushed again, but Adrien decided not to try and decode what that meant. He chuckled a bit, because the mood was getting too dark and serious, and it was such a strange shift from his usual interactions with Marinette.

“Maybe it’s just work that brings out the worst in us,” he said. “At work, and after work… we seem to be doing better at not fighting _before_ work.”

“We,” Marinette started to say, but then she hesitated. Now she was staring straight ahead. “We probably would have gotten along better if we’d met outside of the shop, huh?”

“You’re probably right.”

-

Adrien ran into Marinette before work several more times after that. He spotted her at the library, studying during the lunch period, and he set his stuff down at her table so they could study together. They bumped into each other before classes one day, and Marinette insisted he take a couple cookies from a small box she was carrying.

“Home made,” she told him, “from my parents’ bakery. I really shouldn’t be eating these for breakfast but I had to grab something when I rushed out for class, so…”

He found himself waiting for her on campus by the end of the week, so they could walk to work together after her last class. They had to run just to make it, and by the time they got to the shop door they were laughing uncontrollably. Nino gave him an odd look when they got inside, and Adrien realized he didn’t have a good explanation.

“One week ago you couldn’t stand her,” Nino said as they rode the train one morning. “Now it’s like you’re best buddies.”

“Who?” Adrien asked, though the answer was obvious. He and Marinette had traded phone numbers a few days previous, and she had texted him that morning to ask what she should bring from the bakery for their lunch break.

“ _Marinette_ ,” Nino grumbled, and he gestured down at the phone in Adrien’s hands. He must have been texting longer than he realized. “I swear, it’s like I’m being replaced. Does your Ladybug know you’ve got a new girlfriend?”

Adrien blushed, and he stuffed the phone into his back pocket. “It’s not like that. We’re just friends now.” That alone was strange enough to say, but it was true, and Adrien realized he _liked_ that it was true. “And yeah,” he added before Nino could retort, “she did use to hate me a lot, but she can be pretty nice when she’s not… being so mean.”

They both laughed. Their train slowed to a stop, and people started filing out. “I just hope your internet girlfriend doesn’t get jealous,” Nino said, “or you may never get to meet her IRL.”

He actually said it like that, IRL, which made Adrien laugh even more. “Joke’s on you,” he said, as they started to climb the stairs up to the street. “We already have a second date planned.”

“You mean a second _first_ date.”

“Whatever.” They paused at the top of the stairs, and Adrien glanced around. This was where they usually parted ways in the morning, and lately where Marinette would find him so they could walk to class together. He looked back at Nino and saw him raising an eyebrow, and Adrien rolled his eyes. “Did you ever ask Alya out?” he asked.

Nino stuffed his hands into his pockets and kicked at the sidewalk. “I’m working on it,” he said, which was the same answer he’d given for the last week. He turned to leave, then said, “See you at work?”

“Yeah,” Adrien mumbled. He’d just spotted Marinette coming down the street, carrying a box stamped with her parents’ bakery logo. Nino followed his eyes, then sighed before saying goodbye.

Marinette finally spotted Adrien waiting for her, and raised her hand to wave. When their eyes met, Adrien’s heart started to beat faster, and he wasn’t entirely sure why.


	6. 24 Decembre

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was released MUCH later than I intended it to be, so thank you so much for everyone waiting patiently!! And thank you so much to everyone who's been reading along, and everyone who's left kind comments!! I hope you've enjoyed it!!!

Marinette stared out the shop window at the Christmas decorations lining the streets, and she felt like throwing up. Today was the day. If the sheer anxiety of the situation didn’t kill her, the mortification on Adrien’s face when she finally told him who she was surely would.

“Do you think you’re going to make it?” Alya asked behind her. Her voice was a low whisper; across the shop Adrien and Nino were having their own quiet conversation.

“I’ll… be fine,” Marinette croaked.

Adrien had been fidgeting from nerves all day today too, which honestly would have been funny if Marinette hadn’t felt so close to death. What did he even have to be nervous of? He already knew the girl we was meeting liked him. Marinette couldn’t be sure _what_ his reaction would be when he found out it was _her_.

Alya was glancing over at the boys. “Here’s an idea,” she said, and Marinette flashed her a skeptical look. “What if Nino and I just join you two, and we make it a double date?”

“No, Alya,” Marinette said with a sigh. Anything to get out of being alone with Nino. “I’m not springing this on Adrien last minute _and_ making him deal with an audience. I’m not…” she hesitated, “I’m not _that_ mean.”

“I know you’re not,” Alya said, surprisingly sincere, and she set a comforting hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “You got this, girl.”

The shop had been empty of customers practically the entire day, and now cold, bright, afternoon sunlight was streaming through the windows. Before long they’d be closing up for the day, and Marinette wouldn’t be able to procrastinate her confession any longer.

She turned away from the window, and tried to find something useful to pretend to do at the front counter. Alya joined her. “Did you get him a gift?” she asked after a moment.

“I tried,” Marinette said, “but I couldn’t decide on anything. I think… if he finds out it’s be, and he’s disappointed, he probably wouldn’t want a gift anyways.”

“And when he’s _not_ disappointed,” Alya said, and knocked Marinette’s shoulder softly, “it’ll be _you_ who’s the gift!” She laughed loudly at this and Marinette blushed, shoving her shoulder back.

“Quit it,” Marinette mumbled, but she found herself smiling as well.

The boys, noticing the commotion, finished their whispered conversation and were heading up to the front counter as well, when Mr. Agreste’s office door suddenly opened. Nino and Adrien both stopped short. Marinette quickly tried to appear busy, but Mr. Agreste ignored her completely and stood in front of his son.

“I have an appointment to keep, so I will be leaving early,” he said, and though she couldn’t see clearly Marinette heard him hold out what sounded like a ring of keys. “I trust you can lock up on your own?”

Adrien looked just as confused as Marinette felt. “Y-yes, father.”

“Good.” Mr. Agreste turned to Marinette and Alya, and said, “Thank you for coming in today. There’s no need to waste your time any longer. You may all go home. Merry Christmas,” he added, and turned to leave.

They all watched as Mr. Agreste, closely followed by his assistant Nathalie, walked through the front door. There was a strange shocked silence for a few moments.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him walk through that door before,” Alya said. “In or out.”

“Dude, same,” Nino agreed. He looked wide-eyed from Alya to Adrien. “I can’t tell if we’re in trouble or not. Do we just… leave, then?”

Adrien gave a helpless shrug. “That’s what he said. He gave me the key.”

He held the ring of keys up, and Alya cupped a hand over Marinette’s ear. “This is _exactly_ what you needed, Marinette!” she whispered.

Marinette liked the idea of going home early, but she couldn’t see how this changed much exactly. Alya waved the boys away and Marinette whispered back, “Why?”

“I can get rid of Nino easily,” Alya said, as they started to slowly follow the boys back to the break room, “we’ll just move our date up a few hours. But Adrien’s gonna need help getting the shop closed up, which is where you come in.”

“What… does that accomplish?” Marinette asked, but she had a sinking feeling she already knew.

“You and Adrien!” Alya said, just barely quiet enough not to be overheard. Marinette winced. “Alone in the shop together! You gotta tell him!”

Marinette’s cheeks flushed. She was supposed to still have a few more hours to procrastinate! “I-I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she mumbled.

“What’s not a good idea?” Nino asked. He had his bag already strapped over both shoulders and stood waiting by the lockers for Adrien, who was having some trouble with his combination.

Alya shook her head dramatically. “Marinette here is just being a little timid,” she said, and she strode over to her own locker. “But I’m sure she’ll work up the nerve soon.”

If Marinette could see her own face at that moment, she was sure it would be bright red. Thank god Adrien was too busy fighting his own locker to notice, though Nino looked thoroughly confused.

“Speaking of,” Alya added. She grabbed her bag without any trouble, and gave Nino a pointed look. “Shouldn’t _we_ be heading for our rendezvous?”

That got Adrien’s attention. He looked up at Nino with a panicked expression, matching Nino’s own. “N-now?” Nino asked, any questions he had for Marinette forgotten. That was a relief. “We s-still had a few hours!”

Alya gave a nonchalant shrug. “You heard the boss,” she said. “No point in wasting time. Besides, I didn’t bring anything for meal break.” She gave Marinette a pointed look, then looped an arm around Nino’s, who’s face flushed deeply. He struggled to spit out a response, and looked helplessly at Adrien.

“Go ahead,” Adrien said, “I’ll be fine.” He’d finally gotten his locker open, and he smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It won’t take me long to close up by myself.”

Alya winked at Marinette, and said, “I’m sure Marinette wouldn’t mind staying to help. You still have time before _your_ date tonight, right?”

Marinette was sure she at least had time to kill Alya, if nothing else.

Alya didn’t wait for a response before dragging Nino away, signaling for Marinette to call her. Marinette made up her mind to do no such thing. She and Adrien watched them leave until the bell above the front door chimed, and they were left alone.

Adrien looked to Marinette but she couldn’t meet his eyes. “You don’t have to stay,” he said. He grabbed his bag, then stepped out of the way of the lockers.

“I-it’s really fine!” she assured him. She stepped awkwardly around him to her locker, and fumbled with the dial on the combination lock. “I don’t… mind.”

Adrien adjusted the strap of the bag on his shoulder, and nodded. “So… I guess we all had dates tonight, huh?”

This was the worst kind of soap opera imaginable. “Y-yeah,” Marinette responded. “You’re… seeing Ladybug?”

“Yep.” The conversation where Adrien had told Marinette about her, the nameless internet girl Adrien was obvious head of heels for, who she’d almost ruined Adrien’s chances with, had been one of the worst in Marinette’s life. He hadn’t noticed. “I didn’t realize you had a, uh, a person you were dating,” Adrien added.

Marinette all but hid her face in her locker. “Yeah,” she said again. “Sort of. It’s… I’m not sure yet. It might not work out. He might… hate me.”

Adrien had started to leave the room, dragging his feet, but he paused to give her a smile. “That’s hard to imagine,” he said. “I’m sure your… whoever likes you very much.”

“ _You_ used to hate me,” Marinette pointed out. Adrien chuckled.

“I never _hated_ you, I thought you were….”

His voice trailed off. Marinette finally looked back to see him staring at the floor, clutching the strap of his bag tightly. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear the rest of that sentence, but she also couldn’t not. “Yes?”

“I thought you were pretty cool,” Adrien said with a shrug, and if she didn’t know any better Marinette would say there was a hint of a blush there too. “When you first came in the shop. And it’s been nice to finally be friends, y’know?”

He turned and left the room before Marinette could figure out how to respond. She grabbed her bag and shut her locker behind her so she could follow. Adrien was already at the front counter, unlocking the cash drawer, by the time she caught up. “You think I’m cool?” she asked.

Adrien managed a playful grin. “I said ‘thought’, past tense.” He pulled the register drawer out and headed towards his father’s office, and Marinette trailed closely behind.

“And now?” she asked. They were supposed to be teasing each other, but she couldn’t keep the notes of something sincere and anxious out of her tone.

Adrien locked the cash into his father’s safe, and glanced back at Marinette over his shoulder. “You’re not mean anymore,” he said, “for the most part.” He grinned like he expected her to respond, but Marinette’s heart was pounding too quickly. “Just don’t be mean to this guy, and I’m sure he’ll fall for you.”

Marinette’s heart was in her throat. “I’m… trying,”she said in a mumble so low she couldn’t tell if Adrien had even heard her.

He locked the office door behind them as they exited, and Marinette helped him finish the last few remaining chores. Her bag hung loosely at her side. Down in the bottom folds of the bag she’d stuffed the red and black lotus flower, the one she’d made for her first date with Chat Noir. He was supposed to look for it again tonight.

When everything was done, Adrien paused in front of the light switches. “Well,” he said, “good luck with your date tonight.”

“T-thanks,” Marinette managed, “I’ll… _knead_ it.”

As soon as she said it Marinette realized that pun wouldn’t land well spoken aloud, but Adrien still raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you going to wish me luck?” He flicked the lights off. The sunlight streaming through the windows bathed the shop in a harsh warm glow.

Once again, Marinette couldn’t meet Adrien’s eyes. “You… already know Ladybug likes you,” she said, “you have nothing to be… _furr­_ -ied about.”

That was a bit more of a stretch, and it sent her heart pounding again. Marinette couldn’t bear to look up to his face and see what his reaction to that was, and it was still bright enough he could probably see that her cheeks were bright red. “I,” Adrien said slowly, “what?”

Marinette turned and stormed to the front of the shop, and this time it was Adrien who followed close behind. “I-I just mean,” she stuttered, “I’m… p- _paw_ sitive she feels the s-same way… about you. As you-”

“Marinette,” Adrien said, and he set a hand on her shoulder to turn her around. He stared at her, searching her face, and at least it was a relief to see he was confused instead of angry. “Are you…?”

He couldn’t finish whatever he was trying to ask, so Marinette unhooked the clasp on her bag and reached inside. “I’m sorry, I need to….” Her fingers touched the fabric, and before she could lose the nerve she pulled the flower out. She held up up so Adrien could see. “I need to let the c-cat out of the bag.”

Adrien stared at her in shock. His eyes dropped from her face, to the flower in her hand, then back up to her face, and Marinette could practically see the mental calculations running. “You’re… Ladybug?” he finally said.

She nodded slowly. “I… couldn’t figure out how to tell you. I hope you can… _furr_ -give me.”

The shock on Adrien’s face melted into pure mirth as he started laughing at the pun. Marinette cracked a small smile as well, the anxiety knot in her stomach starting to come loose. “That was-!” Adrien tried to say, but he could hardly talk through his laughter. By the time he finally caught his breath all he could do was stare at her in wonder. His eyes were shining. “How?” he asked.

Marinette gave a nervous chuckle. “I don’t know. It’s the most impossible coincidence I could have imagined, but then I saw you that night-”

Adrien cut her off with a groan and he buried his face in his hands. “That night,” he muttered. “You… I was so _awful_ to you. And you’re…?”

“It was no more than I deserved,” Marinette said. She rubbed her arm awkwardly and stared down. “When I saw that it was you I was so shocked, I didn’t know what to think.”

Adrien peeked at her from between his fingers, then dropped his hands partway. “And… now?” he asked.

Marinette was surprised he couldn’t hear how her heart was pounding. “N-now,” she said, “I don’t… think I mind at all.” When she looked up again he wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t frowning either. He still just looked stunned. “W-what about you?” she asked. “I hope you’re not… too disappointed.”

“Disappointed?” Adrien said, and his face split into that smile that made Marinette melt. “I was so _hoping_ it would be you!”

Marinette found it harder to breath. “You were?”

“I mean I didn’t actually think it would happen,” Adrien said, and he stepped closer almost subconsciously. “But I knew I was meeting Ladybug tonight and these last two weeks, I just kept thinking….” His voice trailed off, and his gaze dropped from her eyes to her lips. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” Marinette said without thinking.

Their noses bumped as Adrien leaned down and Marinette started to giggle, then his lips were on hers and her brain short-circuited. She felt her hands snake up behind his neck and could do nothing to stop them. His in turn dropped to her sides, pulling her close.

Adrien’s lips were warm, and soft, and she could have kept kissing him for hours if she hadn’t remembered they were standing in front of an open window.

Adrien chased her lips as she pulled away and Marinette grinned at the giddy look on his face. “We should probably,” she said, embarrassed by how breathless she felt, “get out of here.” Adrien’s forehead was leaning against her own, and she glanced sideways at the empty shop. “It’s not exactly… the most romantic….”

She felt Adrien wince as he opened his eyes. “Yeah, let’s go.” Marinette was still holding the lotus flower in one hand, and as Adrien reluctantly stepped away she reached up to fix it into her hair.

She wasn’t prepared for the shock of cold as they stepped outside. Marinette blew warm air into her cupped hands as Adrien locked the shop door, then laced her fingers between his and pulled him close. “So,” she said slyly, “if I didn’t get you anything, do I still get _my_ present?”

Adrien shook his head, smiling. “First you’re keeping secrets,” he said, “now you won’t get me anything for Christmas?” He tilted his head playfully, and added, “I did get to hear you make some _punderful_ turns of phrase.”

Marinette groaned. “They almost killed me, too,” she said, “I don’t know how you can stand it.”

“Well,” Adrien said. He leaned in close, but the grin on his face told Marinette she wouldn’t like where this was headed. “I thought they were _purr_ fect.”


End file.
